Duke's Monique Currie Named To Preseason State Farm Wade Trophy List

Aug. 18, 2004

ATLANTA, Ga. - A national awards committee consisting of leading basketball coaches, journalists, and basketball administrators today announced its preseason list for The State Farm Wade Trophy. The list is comprised of 31 student-athletes who are members of an NCAA Division I institution and are selected based on the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability. Duke University junior Monique Currie is listed among the top-31 candidates after averaging 12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks as a sophomore last season. Currie, a Washington, D.C. product, is expected to have a break-out season after the graduation of 2004 Wooden Award winner Alana Beard and Kodak All-America Iciss Tillis. A two-time second team All-ACC selection, Currie is one of the most athletic and all-around players in the nation as she can hit the three-pointer, take people off the dribble, is an excellent rebounder, has great passing ability and can get to the free throw line. She is only 81 points away from reaching the 1,000 career points mark. "The 2004-05 State Farm Wade Trophy preseason list is an example of how dynamic and exciting the game of women's college basketball has become," said Jeanne Lenti-Ponsetto, Chair of the State Farm Wade Trophy Committee and Athletic Director, DePaul University. "These 31 student-athletes represent the best and brightest and we look forward to an outstanding year of college women's basketball." Of the 31 student-athletes selected for the preseason "Wade Watch," the Big 12 led with seven (7); the BIG EAST followed with five (5) players; the SEC and PAC-10 each have four (4) players; the ACC and Conference USA with three (3) players; the Big Ten with two (2) players, while the Big South, Big West and Mountain West have one player represented respectively. The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 28th year and named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball. This most prestigious award, regarded as "The Heisman of Women's Basketball", is organized by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in conjunction with the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS). Last year's State Farm Wade Trophy recipient was Beard. A Shreveport, La., native, Beard led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in scoring (19.7) and finished the season with averages of 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.4 blocks a contest, while leading Duke to a 30-4 record and a Mideast Region Final appearance. The Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll for the first time in school history and finished her career with eight ACC Championships- four tournament and four regular season titles. For her career, Beard compiled 2,687 points, 789 rebounds, 509 assists, 404 steals and 149 blocks. She became the first player in NCAA men's or women's history to register over 2,500 points and 400 steals and will leave Duke as the all-time leading scorer for men and women. The senior guard led the Blue Devils to two NCAA Final Four appearances and became only the second woman to be named Associated Press first team All-America on three occasions. She also became Duke's first women's basketball player to have her jersey retired, was the first ACC player to be named first team All-ACC each of her four years and was the first three-time ACC Player of the Year. The first recipient of the Wade Trophy was Carol Blazejowski of Montclair State in 1978. Other Wade Trophy/NCAA Division I Player of the Year recipients include many WNBA standouts such as Teresa Weatherspoon (1988), Jennifer Azzi (1990), Ticha Penicheiro (1998), Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2003), in addition to; two-time winner Nancy Lieberman (1979 and 1980) and Cheryl Miller (1985). The 2005 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced during the WBCA National Convention held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four in Indianapolis, Indiana, April 2-5, 2005.

The pre-season candidates for The State Farm Wade Trophy, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows:

Name Institution 2004-05 Class Year Seimone Augustus Louisiana State University Junior Jacqueline Batteast Notre Dame Senior Steffanie Blackmon Baylor University Senior Nikki Blue UCLA Junior Jamie Carey University of Texas Senior Monique Currie Duke University Junior Shyra Ely University of Tennessee Senior Katie Feenstra Liberty University Senior Sandora Irvin Texas Christian University Senior Dionnah Jackson University of Oklahoma Senior Tiffany Jackson University of Texas Sophomore Temeka Johnson Louisiana State University Senior Ivory Latta University of North Carolina Sophomore Camille Little University of North Carolina Sophomore Sancho Lyttle University of Houston Senior Kristen Mann University of California, Santa Barbara Senior Janel McCarville University of Minnesota Senior Jessica Moore University of Connecticut Senior Shawntinice Polk University of Arizona Junior Cappie Pondexter Rutgers University Senior Noelle Quinn UCLA Sophomore Heather Schreiber University of Texas Senior Khara Smith DePaul University Junior Kim Smith University of Utah Junior Ann Strother University of Connecticut Junior Barbara Turner University of Connecticut Junior Kendra Wecker Kansas State University Senior Dee-Dee Wheeler University of Arizona Senior Tan White Mississippi State University Senior Tanisha Wright Penn State University Senior Sophia Young Baylor University Junior

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as an amateur sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA, please visit our website at WBCA.org. RELEASE PROVIDED BY WBCA AND DUKE UNIVERSITY